Slide-in handle for brief cases



March 18, 1952 H. SCHNEIDER SLIDE-IN HANDLE FOR BRIEF CASES 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Sept. 21, 1950 M m m m HAROLD $CHNE1DER March 18, 1952 I H. SCHNEIDER 2,589,438

SLIDE-IN HANDLE FOR BRIEF CASES Filed Sept. 21, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 INVENTOR. HAROLD SCHNEI ER Patented Mar. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE- SLIDE-IN HANDLE FOR BRIEF CASES Harold Schneider, New Bedford, Mass;

Application September 21, 1950, Serial No. 185,930

1 Claim. 1

vide limit stops for portions of the covered wire inserted through a slit in the skin of the case. This type of handle has proven unsatisfactory in several respects. First, in order to secure the same to the case the latter must be provided with slits and with rivets or some other similar means. This is necessitated by the fact that the covered wires are not sufficiently resilient to regain their desired configuration if the ends thereof are sprung apart to be inserted through holes in the skin of the case. Also, due to the neoessarily rounded form of the covered Wire frictional difliculty is encountered in sliding the handle members to their retracted positions, and when in said retracted positions the covered wires are excessively bulky. Further the covering of the wire is quickly scuffed and discolored.

One object of the invention is the provision of a molded plastic retractable brief case handle of such resilience that the ends of the same can be sprung apart to engage or disengage the same from holes in the skin of the case Without afiecting the permanent configuration of the same.

Another object of the invention is to construct the molded handle in such manner that the same simulates aleather handle and complements the appearance of the case.

Still another object of the invention is to construct said handle in such manner that the same is freely slidable to retracted position and is non bulky when in retracted position.

A still further object of the invention is to construct said member of a plastic material adapted to resist scuffing and discoloration.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. l is a small scale perspective view of a brief case having a handle constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of one of the components of said handle.

Fig. 3 is a Side elevational view of the other side of said handle component.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the handle.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating a modified ornamental decoration of the handle. I

Fig. '7 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional View on line l1 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view on line 88 of Fig. 7. h

Fig. 9 is a side elevational view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 8 but illustrates the modified form of the invention.

Referring now to Figs. 1-8 wherein a form of the invention is illustrated the reference numeral [5 indicates a brief case comprising a pair of complementary side pieces l6 connectable together throughout their perimeters' by a. slide fastener H. The side pieces [6 are each provided with a suitable lining [8 as shown in Fi 7, and each is provided with a pair of holes 20 located adjacent the top thereof and centrally relative to the side edges. According to the invention'each pair of holes 29 is utilized to retractably secure a handle component 2! to the associate side piece [6.

Each handle component 2! is molded of any desired colored plastic material having sufiicient resilience for the purposes hereinafter set forth and has the configuration of an inverted U with tails 22 directed inwardly from the ends of the side arms thereof. Preferably the plastic used is polystyrene. As best shown in Figs. 2, 4, 5 and 6 the handle component is formed flat on one side and on the other side is rounded except for an edging flange 23 which may be provided with suitable indentations 24 to simulate stitching. The indentations 24 may be of any desired form or need not be provided at all, which fact is illustrated by the modified indentations 24 in Fig. 6 and by the absence of indentations in Fig. 9. The configuration of the handle is such as to simulate a leather covered wire handle and preferably the color thereof is chosen to match that of the brief case l5. To fit the crossbar of the handle to the palm of the hand the underedge thereof is formed on a straight line while the upper edges of the rounded portion and the flange 23 thereof are arched upwardly toward their centers, see particularly Figs. 2 and 3.

The tails 22 of each handle component 2| extend inwardly from the ends of the side arms of the latter in suchwise that their ends 25 are spaced a short distance apart. The under edges of the tails 22 are arranged at right angles to the side arms of the handle component but the upper edge of each tail tapers downward toward its inner end 25 so that said upper edges are located relative to said side arms at an angle in excess of 90. The purpose of this construction will be explained hereinafter.

Each handle component 2| is engaged with the holes 20 in one of the brief case side pieces H5 in the following manner. The side arms of the handle component are spread apart as indicated in dot dash lines in Fig. 2 to space the ends 25 of the tails 22 a sufiicient distance apart for the same to be inserted through the holes .20. Once the said ends are in the holes the component is allowed to resume its normal configuration and the same is secured to the brief case with the side arms thereof slidably engaged in the holes 20. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the flat side of the handle component is placed adjacent the center of the brief case so that only the rounded outer sides of the two handle components are all that are contacted by the users hands. Each handle component is retracted by pushing the side arms thereof downward into the holes 20 until only the crossbar is visible. When in this position the semi-round cross section of the side arms eflectively reduces the resultant bulges in the side piece I6.

, .Referring to Fig. 8, it will be seen that the tapering upper edge of each tail 22 causes the said edge to engage the material of side piece |6 only immediately adjacent the hole 20. This results in that, when the brief case is heavily loaded,.the jolting of the load is partially cushioned by a sliding action of the tails 22. That is as the material of a side piece l6 adjacent each hole 20 jolts downward on the tapered up per edgeof the associate tail 22, the latter moves lengthwise a short distance, this action causing the handle components side arms to spread slightly. This, it will be seen cushions said jolts and lessens the fatigue of the brief cases carrier. It is to be ,mentioned that the handle components 2| can be disengaged from the holes 20 as simply as they are engaged therewith by reversingthe described procedure. This is an advantageous feature in that the handle can readily be removed if it is desired to utilize the brief case as an under-the-arm bag.

.In some instances brief cases are required to carry loads of such weight that the above described tails would be forced out of the holes 20, disengaging the handle from the brief case. For such instances the modified means shown in Figs. 9 and 10 is provided. In these figures like parts are given the same reference numerals as hereinbefore with a prime added.

In this form of the invention the tails 22 of each handle component 2| do not extend directly inward toward one another as described above but are inclined upward toward their free ends 25'. In this manner the said tails form,

.in effect, hooks which grip the adjacent edges as described above, namely, by spreading the side arms of each handle component 2|.

It is to be understood that my improved slidein-handles may be used in connection with any article which'may be carried by handles, such as brief cases of all kind, zipper ring binders, zipper envelopes, handbags, etc. This plastic handle may be used for a long time and will appear to be new indefinitely, whereas in the ordinary stitched leather covered handles the stitches may become unraveled after a comparatively short use and the exposed reinforcing wire may injure the hands of the carrier.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and .desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A handle for a brief case having a pair of side pieces each provided with a pair of holes therein centrally adjacent the upper edge thereof, Which comprises a pair of inverted U-shaped, solid molded, resilient handle components each having a tailprojecting inward at an upward inclination from the end of each side arm, said side arms extending through said holes Withsaid tails completely Within the latter, and each said component being fiat on one side and having the other side rounded except for an outer edging flange.

HAROLD SCHNEIDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,663,909 Hallman Mar. 27, 1928 2,053,630 Plotkin Sept, 8, 1936 2,069,255 Lifton Feb. 2, 1937 2,170,841 Thies et a1. Aug. 29, 1939 2,503,746 Klehr Apr. 11, 1950 2,517,369 Wolfson Aug. 1, 1950 

